LINK, WPCCCGA ink affiliation agreement

April 17, 2012

The West Point-Clay County Community Growth Alliance and the Columbus-Lowndes Development LINK held a formal signing ceremony for a three-year affiliation Tuesday at West Pointâs Ritz Theater and Conference Center.
The agreement keeps the Growth Alliance as West Pointâs and Clay Countyâs chamber of commerce, while the LINK assumes responsibility for the city and countyâs economic development. LINK Executive Director Joe Max Higgins said the deal has been in the works since late October 2011 and negotiations have gone well.

âEverybody understands what weâre trying to accomplish,â Higgins said. âEverybodyâs obviously looking out for their interests, but nobodyâs being problematic just to be problematic. Itâs two groups sitting down and wanting to do something.â

Robbie Robinson, retired Clay County chancery clerk and board member for both LINK and the Growth Alliance, said the signing ceremony culminated significant background work on the affiliationâs details. He said West Point and Clay County leaders inside and outside the Growth Alliance are positive about the affiliation because of LINKâs strong track record.
âI really have not heard any negative comments,â Robinson said. âThese days in economic development, if you donât have regional cooperation, then I think youâre going in with two strikes against you when youâre going into the game. Projects look for regional cooperation. Now that weâre expanding this, I really think weâre going to be leading the state in this effort. I think there are going to be some people watching us to see how this turns out, and in my mind, I donât doubt that it will turn out for the good.â

West Point Mayor Scott Ross said the partnership pairs two key resources: the economic development acumen of Higgins and LINK, and the sites, natural resources and utility infrastructure of West Point and Clay County.

âWhen you put those two together, I think itâs a recipe for success,â Ross said. âI think itâs potentially the biggest single thing thatâs happened to us in decades. I am so confident that this is going to be successful that I consider this to be the most important single thing that Iâve been involved with since Iâve been in office.â

In the time since the two organizations announced their affiliation in January, Higgins said they have hired a new community development director for the Growth Alliance, Cynthia Wilson.

âShe actually ran the economic development program and the chamber of commerce at Eupora, so sheâs a well-known, well-respected practitioner,â Higgins said. âThereâs probably no job we could ask her to do or want her to do that she couldnât do and represent the community tremendously.â
Ross said Wilson will help the Growth Alliance continue to develop its community through such avenues as the Prairie Arts Festival, the Christmas parade, museums, beautification and tourism.

âSheâs got tremendous experience and great contacts,â Ross said. âWe didnât hire Joe Higgins to run a parade. We want him to be parading the jobs in here.â

Wilson said she is glad to have LINK and the Growth Allianceâs support and to share in their desire to improve the community. She said she hopes her work in community improvement ultimately complements LINKâs economic development efforts.

âA big part of what is taken into consideration in industrial recruitment is the location, the town, the quality of life and all of those things,â Wilson said. âWe want to be able to put the best face possible on West Point whenever a prospect comes. I will be handling things like the Main Street program, developing the downtown, doing some retail development out on Highway 45 â just doing things to really try to improve our community, improve foot traffic in the community, tourism (and) things of that sort.â

Meanwhile, Higgins said he and the LINK have big plans to market West Point and Clay Countyâs industrial sites at a national level. The abandoned Americold Logistics building near Mossy Oak is one example of West Pointâs vast potential, he said.

âItâs a 200,000-square-foot freezer,â Higgins said. âItâs a massive facility sitting vacant. We need to find somebody to call that home. Weâve got a couple of what I call âmegasitesâ or âsupersitesâ north of town. Weâre in the process of working with some of our sister agencies to get those ready to market and develop. Some of them are going to rival some of the best sites in the South.â

Sara Leeâs closure has also left West Point with abundant sewage capacity and water resources, Higgins said, and a large substation provides some of the highest electrical capacity in all of the Tennessee Valley Authorityâs service area. He said the Growth Alliance has placed a lot of faith in the LINK.
âWe donât take that lightly,â Higgins said. âWe simply must succeed for them, period.â